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16 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 14, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Lake Ontario 300 sets sail from Oakville July 20 By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF True high seas adventure -- smooth sailing or otherwise -- is set to sail out of Oakville Harbour. The Lake Ontario 300 is one of five major long distance races on the Great Lakes and this year it starts at 11 a.m., on July 20 at Oakville Harbour, co-hosted by the Oakville Yacht Squadron (OYS) and Port Credit Yacht Club. Boats will begin leaving the harbour an hour earlier, in the wake of a pre-race breakfast. The three-day, 300-nautical-mile (350 land miles) cruise that circumnavigates Lake Ontario and raises funds for junior sailing schools will draw lots of yachts and much attention as it begins and ends at Oakville Harbour. The international event will see the largest collection of sailboats ranging from 24-foot to 53-foot long boats to be assembled in Oakville. Competitors are coming from all around the lake -- from Canadian and U.S. yacht clubs -- to take on the challenge established in 1990. "Right now we are anticipating having at least six boats from the OYS and three boats from the Oakville Club in the race. If we average five people per boat, you have at least 45 people from Oakville. There are probably Oakville people who are racing in the race on another boat coming from another port. There is one boat from OYS that has an all female crew and they are all from Oakville," said Brian Townsend, a Lake Ontario 300 organizer. Townsend, of Mississauga, sails out of the Port Credit Yacht Club. This is his third Lake Ontario 300 race and he's on the organizing committee in addition to participating. Previous Lake Ontario 300 participants. Some boats may finish before the weekend and some may not finish until Monday depending on timing, wind patterns and the course taken. Unlike any of the other long distance races on the Great Lakes, the Lake Ontario 300 circumnavigates Lake Ontario, challenging both beginner and experienced racers. It is the second longest of all the Great Lakes races and has the most marks to navigate. That combination plus the multiple weather patterns -- Lake Ontario is known for its ocean-like unpredictability-- makes it the greatest challenge of them all. The Lake Ontario 300 is the race that gave Oakville's Derek Hatfield -- Canada's most famous single-handed racer -- his start. Hatfield will participate in the Lake Ontario 300 this year, too, in anticipation of his next race around the world in the Velux 5 Oceans, the ultimate solo challenge this October. Hatfield's participation in the Lake Ontario haul will provide an added opportunity for racers who want to match wits with the best. Well-known Oakville development lawyer Lyn Townsend-Renaud has participated in three races, first in her boat, Our Official Plan, a 1984 Beneteau First 42 and later her current boat, The Itch is Back. Townsend-Renaud's first adventure resulted in a last-place finish and many lessons learned. A year later, in 2000, and with a new sailing partner, Rossi Milev, she took a first place finish ­ crossing the finish line with the fully-crewed winners. Last year, she finished third. "The race was originally organized as a collaborative effort between the Oakville Yacht Squadron members and the members at Port Credit Yacht Club as an ultimate long-distance challenge for double-handed sailing. It was agreed that they would alternate the start of the race between the two clubs so every other year it has been at OYS for the last 16 years," said Townsend. "One interesting thing about the race is the fact that it is totally weather dependent and that is one of the challenges. Some years, the wind dies and the number of participants that drop out increases and some years the weather is so bad, boats drop out, as well. It is usually a combination of both. Since we are circumnavigating the lake you can expect different weather patterns. One of the strategies is to plot a course where you can anticipate better winds. Since 2000 the race was extended to include fullycrewed divisions and the participants have increased and the percentage of completions has also increased," said Townsend. The Lake Ontario 300 is also a bargain. The $100 registration fee gives participants a crew kit filled with sponsored items including Mount Gay apparel as well as a skipper's bag. Port Credit Yacht Club provides free accommodation to participants wishing to bring their boats into the area the weekend prior to the race. "Junior sailing has benefitted every year since the inception of the race, it was part of the original deed of the race. The funds actually go to Junior Learn to Sail Programs, which means they have to go to improving equipment or learning tools. I am not sure what the total amount is, but it's been able to purchase new sails, dinghies and more," said Townsend. "We introduced the team event last year and that is increasing the inter-club rivalry out on the lake," said Townsend. OYS should have two teams of three boats entered into this year's race and the Oakville Club's three boats should be coming together as a team as well. "Last year OYS had seven boats in the race, two of them sailed the double handed. In the spinnaker course, Trigger, which was the female crewed boat was the only one to finish," said Townsend. This year's course starts in an eastward direction from Oakville, rounding marks at Gibraltar Point and Whitby Yacht Club before rounding the Main Duck Island and turning back on the U.S. side rounding at Niagara, then the Burlington weather mark before finishing back in Oakville. The Canadian Coast Guard will track boats as they go around the lake to ensure nobody gets lost and to alert large tankers of the race traffic. See race details at www.lakeontario300.org. -- Angela Blackburn can be reached at angela@oakvillebeaver.com. TA LIN INS ALLorB etails D F N O Call E FREATION DS LL ALL Y WIN OUR DO NEE W DS Oakville's Newest Gallery of Window Fashions ELITE WINDOW TM FA S H I O N S Delor WINDOW COVERINGS Imagination · Innovation · Inspiration LEVOLOR EUROPEAN COLLECTION 50 SNS % off pleated and Honeycomb shades * see store for details sale HUNTER DOUGLAS CANADA CUSTOM MADE DRAPERY BY: · MAXWELL · EQUUS · FABRICUT · 3 STAR · ANTEX · NORBAR · ALENDEL · DECTEX · CAYA/PRIDE OF PARIS STORE HOURS MON-SAT:10AM - 5PM FRIDAY:10AM - 6PM SUNDAY: CLOSED FREE PARKING AVAILABLE AT REAR OF STORE Shades `N' Shutters 276 Kerr Street, Oakville CALL FOR COMPLIMENTARY SHOP @ HOME SERVICE UP TO 50% OFF M.S.R.P. 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